Employers Warned On Stress

Employers are being warned to watch for early signs of mental health problems in the workforce if they want to avoid cases of long-term sickness absence.

New Directions in Managing Employee Absence, a research report by the CIPD and Active Health Partners, has revealed that employees suffering mental health problems such as stress, depression and anxiety go off work for an average of 21 working days.

The research, which studied the absence records of 30,000 employees in 40 organisations, has also found that women, older workers and those in the public sector are more likely to take longer periods of sick leave.

“This study shows how important it is for managers and HR practitioners to be aware of the signs of mental ill-health so that they can act early and provide support before the individual’s condition deteriorates to the point where they go off on long-term sick leave,” said Ben Willmott, CIPD adviser, employee relations.

One public sector employer seeking to reduce work related stress is the Metropolitan Police Service. Dr Eileen Cahill-Canning, their chief medical officer said: “It’s not the intrinsic facets of the job that are the most stressful – for instance, being involved in front-line policing. It’s more universal factors such as how well you are managed and how much control you have over your job. We give our line managers stress toolkits when they enter our leadership academy, and 65 per cent of them say they have changed for the better as a result.”

New Disability Guidance For Post 16 Education

New guidance for the post-16 education sector, aimed at reducing inequalities experienced by disabled students, has just been launched. A Code of Practice for those providing post-16 education has been produced by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) and follows changes to the law (under the Disability Discrimination Act) last September.

The legal changes mean the sector cannot refuse to provide education to a student simply because they have a disability or long term health condition. For example, if a blind woman is not offered a place on an IT course because the education provider wrongly assumes that blind people cannot use computers then this is likely to be what is legally termed ‘direct discrimination’ and is now unlawful.

The Code of Practice explains how a number of legal changes introduced last September will impact on post-16 providers and gives examples on how these changes can be put into practice to ensure disabled students are treated fairly.

Launching the Post-16 Code, Sir Bert Massie, Chairman of the DRC, said:
“It’s now been clearly established that if we improve educational outcomes in post-16 learning then disabled students have a better chance of getting work. These new duties aim to reduce inequalities and so increase the numbers of disabled people moving into and progressing in the workplace.”

In an analysis of legal casework, the DRC found the most common allegations of disability discrimination were in relation to teaching practice; exams and assessments; learning support; equipment and materials; and outings and trips. The DRC says that negative experiences in these areas and others may lead to disabled people leaving courses, never completing qualifications and ending up disengaged, disempowered and out of work.

‘The Code of Practice (revised) for providers of post-16 education and related services’ can be downloaded from the DRC’s website.

New Faces For Education

Prime minister Gordon Brown has put John Denham MP in charge of the new department responsible for Innovations, Universities and Skills, with Ed Balls MP heading up the other new department for Children, Families and Schools.

John Denham, a former Home Office minister, left Tony Blair’s government in protest over Iraq. He was born in 1953 and educated at Woodroffe Comprehensive School, Lyme Regis and Southampton University, where he became president of the students union. He has been MP for Southampton Itchen since 1992.

Ed Balls was appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury in May last year and was previously an economic adviser to Gordon Brown following Labour’s 1997 election victory. He joined the Commons in 2005, representing Normanton in West Yorkshire and is married to Yvette Cooper MP.

On-Line Petition Supporting Adult Learning

An online e-petition has been set up calling for long-term public funding for adult learning. The petition, which closes on 3 July, has been submitted by a member of the UCU (University and College Union) and can be found at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/EducationRights/

Suspension Is Not A Neutral Act

In a recent Court  of Appeal decision, the judge said that the use of suspension in a disciplinary matter is not a neutral act. In the case of Mezey v South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, the judge said, “Suspension changes the status quo from work to no work, and it inevitably casts a shadow over the employee’s competence. Of course this does not mean that it cannot be done, but it is not a neutral act.”

This case is significant because for a long time the law has regarded suspension as being neutral, merely preserving the employment relationship while investigations can be undertaken. It is supposed to be used only in the most serious of circumstances. However, as anyone in FE will know, colleges suspend people almost routinely in the face of any kind of disciplinary action. Indeed, just in the last week at least six ACM members have been suspended and in some cases without even being given any detailed reasons.

What is worse, suspension is frequently protracted; and with those affected told not to contact anyone from their college, the isolation and stigma can have a serious impact on an individual’s health and reputation.

Now we have this Court of appeal decision, we will be insisting that colleges review their use of suspension in disciplinary procedures.

New Manager? Only Divorce Is Worse

Making the transition to a management role is second only to divorce when it comes to traumatic life events, CIPD research has revealed.

Almost two-thirds (59 per cent) of the 600 managers surveyed for CIPD Research Insight, Investigating Leadership Transitions, rated a career transition as “extremely” or “very” challenging. A sudden rise in responsibility at work therefore came ahead of bereavement (55 per cent), becoming a parent (53 per cent) and moving house (34 per cent), with divorce or separation topping the poll at 71 per cent.

Vanessa Robinson, CIPD adviser, organisation and resourcing, said the result shows that newly promoted leaders need more support. “We wouldn’t expect people to take on an unfamiliar technical role without appropriate training and support. Yet all too often we’re happy to let people loose on important leadership roles without helping them to develop the necessary skills. Training and equipping leaders with the right resources is essential. Leaders need to understand that their new roles require different ways of thinking.”

Use Ban To Help Smokers Quit

With the smoking ban in English workplaces only days away, the TUC is urging employers not to make life difficult for smokers by banning them from cigarette breaks, but to use the change in the law as an opportunity to help their staff get healthier and quit the habit.

From this Sunday, 1 July, all enclosed workplaces have to be smoke-free, and the TUC is concerned that in the rush to make sure that all the no smoking signs are up and smoking rooms shut down, employers may have forgotten about the best interests of their staff.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Many smokers say they intend to use the introduction of the ban as the reason they’ve all been waiting for to give up. So this weekend looks like the perfect opportunity for employers to encourage staff to stop. But instead of help and support for employees, we’ve heard much talk of banning cigarette breaks and of demonising smoking staff more generally.

‘Although some smokers will stub out their last cigarette this weekend, others will find it harder to do so. Employers may not want to see smokers on the street outside company buildings, but banning them from going outside is not the answer either. Bosses who crack down on fag breaks run the risk that staff will be tempted to light up in secret on company premises.

‘A far better approach would be to help workers break the habit. Employers should run in-house stop smoking sessions, and offer staff who smoke patches, gum or hypnosis to encourage them to quit. The small cost of providing this would be more than offset by the individual health and business benefits of reducing the number of smokers within the workforce.”

National Roll-Out of ALGs

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has announced the national roll out of the Adult Learning Grant (ALG), a £35 million investment that it says will make a significant contribution to improving Britain’s skilled workforce.The roll out will follow a successful pilot programme that began in 2003 and has spread to 24 areas of England.

ALG is a weekly grant designed to help adults studying full-time with the costs of learning. The grant pays up to £30 per week, subject to financial assessment, for full time learners aged 19 and over who are studying for their first full level two or level three, which is the equivalent to 5 GCSEs or 2 A levels.

A pilot campaign has been a proven success in improving retention, with 93 per cent of ALG learners completing their courses above the average of 85% and some colleges reporting that 100 per cent of students receiving ALG saw their courses right through to the end. With an average lifetime salary difference of £185,817 between someone with a Level 2 and Level 3 qualification, it is evident that staying on to finish a course and acquire news skills can make a significant difference.

Pay Claims Latest

The following is a progress report on national pay claims in England and Wales…

The Association of Colleges (AoC) yesterday made an improved offer to unions represented on the National Joint Forum in England. On the table is a 2% increase from 1st August 2007 and a further 1% increase on current rates from 1 February 2008. ACM, along with the other trade unions, will now be consulting branches on this offer.

Peter Pendle, ACM general secretary said, “Given the current difficult financial circumstances faced by some colleges, we appreciate the efforts made by the AoC to come up with an improved offer. The ACM President’s committee will agree ACM’s position at its meeting next week after consulting our branches.” Members are also invited to post their comments below.

In Wales the staff-side unions will meet on Thursday to try and draft a joint pay claim. However, given funding settlements and the reluctance of the Welsh Assembly Government to fund any future pay awards, reaching an agreement is by no means guaranteed.

The Wrath of Boss

College managers will not be surprised to learn that there are plenty of workplace problems in FE colleges. So many in fact that more than a fifth of our entire membership contact us every year for help.

Last week, for example a member phoned to say they had been suspended. They had given out false information and now they were being investigated pending disciplinary action. Understandable, until you realise that the false information was given out on the instruction of the boss. It seems our member is now the scapegoat for the boss’s ego; and we are left to salvage the remains of the member’s career.

And then on Friday a member calls having been sent to a meeting at a hotel to “catch up” on some issues with a consultant. But it turns out that the consultant had been hired by the college to tell our member that they have no confidence in him. He was suspended on the spot and told to hand over his mobile phone and laptop.

Sadly these aren’t isolated examples. What’s more, treating valuable staff in such a way hardly enhances the reputation of our sector. But the sad fact is some bosses are arrogant and some are nothing but bullies.

Thankfully, “bully boss” doesn’t run that many colleges, but he (and he often is male) is out there; and he throws his weight around when the going gets tough. Sure, he keeps trade union officers in jobs, but it must be so soul-destroying for all those hard-working managers and teachers who face his wrath.

Of course another source of problems in colleges is poor human relations management. Whether it’s bad recruitment, a lack of training, poor policies or simply an inexperienced HR department, we have a recipe for trouble. Add into the mix an HR function without authority to take decisions and you understand why a few colleges have become very large blips on the ACM radar.

When resolving an individual problem at work, we always look for the win-win outcome. So imagine our frustration when we are repeatedly told “no” because the boss is either being belligerent, or simply doesn’t understand what we are proposing. Yet if there were more qualified HR managers with a good understanding of employment law, and in particular the delegated power to make decisions, we would resolve many issues without any fuss. Also, colleges would save money as their knowledgeable HR staff wouldn’t need to run every ACM counter-proposal past the college’s solicitors.

Sadly in some colleges the chances of change for the better look slim, but we can’t give up. If we keep recruiting more members, if we continue to highlight and fight their disgraceful behaviour, and if we keep repeating our message, perhaps “bully boss” will be replaced by “best practice boss”; and then we can all get along better.

Is Leitch Report Complete?

It is the quality of of the employment relationship, and how well people are managed that makes the difference in workplace performance. This is the view expressed by employment relations service ACAS in an article about the Leitch report in their latest issue of Employment Relations Matters.

The article, while recognising the importance of the Leitch report, asks if the far reaching proposals are entirely complete. Arguing that Leitch puts employers at the heart of proposals to improve skills, ACAS says “the review takes insufficient account of the role that effective employment relations and good management practices play in organisational performance.”

They go on to say that “Often, a lack of adequate training means that managers are ill equipped to manage the people dimension of their role.”

The ACAS article concludes by saying, “the investment in skills cannot be fully maximised if employers themselves do not possess the employment relations skills needed to deploy their employees skills effectively.”

You can read the article for yourself on the ACAS website at Employment Relations Matters. 

Employers Struggling To Keep Staff

Employers are struggling to retain staff as they deal with a difficult recruitment climate, according to the latest research from CIPD.

The number of respondents reporting retention difficulties rose to 78 per cent in 2006-07 from 69 per cent in 2005-06, according to the Recruitment, Retention and Turnover 2007 survey. The high staff turnover figures were caused mainly by employees leaving to change careers (52 per cent) or to take promotions elsewhere (47 per cent).

Managers and professionals, along with administrative, secretarial and technical staff, were the employee groups most likely to cause retention headaches. Organisations most frequently tried to address these shortfalls by providing more learning and development opportunities, improving selection techniques and increasing pay and benefits.

“There’s a huge jump in retention difficulties. Only the voluntary sector hasn’t been affected,” said Nicola Monson, CIPD research associate. “One reason for this may be that organisations seemed to be doing more in 2005-06 to address these difficulties in terms of improving learning and development and pay than in 2006-07.”

Eighty-four per cent of respondents reported experiencing more general recruitment difficulties – up from 82 per cent in 2005-06. Among these difficulties were problems finding people with the necessary specialist skills (65 per cent), candidates’ excessive pay expectations (46 per cent) and insufficient experience.